A man has gone from sleeping rough to running his own waste collection company in less than ten years. Martin O’Rourke said that he found himself rough-sleeping seven years ago after a relationship breakdown and losing his job, which meant he could not afford anywhere to live.
Mr O'Rourke said that his now wife and him were sleeping in the car at first, but then started sleeping in a tent. They were rough sleeping for six months, staying in quiet spots in the outskirts of Bristol.
"It was a really upsetting time," said the 32-year-old. "It rained once and, as the tent was was very old, it was not waterproof so we just woke up in a puddle. It was not great at all.
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"To try to keep warm, we had two sleeping bags but they would always get soaked. It was horrible, we were cold all the time.
"Food-wise, we would try and go over to relatives who would cook for us, but had no room for us to stay. I remember being miserable, not knowing where our next home would be.
"When you are in that situation, you do not think of your mental health - your main focus is getting fed, staying warm and maybe where you are going to get a shower. You are trying to get whatever you can whenever you can.
"Homelessness was very upsetting and confusing because you haven’t got a home to go to. Through the day you don’t know what to do with yourself apart from trying to find the next place to set up for the night.
"All you think about is having a roof over your head, warm shower, a nice cosy bed and a home cooked dinner."
Mr O’Rourke, who lives in Warmley near Bristol, said that he went to Citizens Advice and was advised to get a loan from a credit union. He was able to borrow £500 which he used to buy a van as he knew that would be a way to make money.
Slowly things started to improve and after three months he had been able to save enough money to get a place. At first, he was working for someone else but he then set up his company.
His company - Martin's Waste Solutions - now employs 18 people, has an office and seven vans. The company conducts domestic and business waste removal services across the South West, including Bristol, Bath, Swindon, Gloucester, Cirencester, Stroud and Cheltenham.
Mr O'Rourke is now fundraising for local homelessness charity St Mungo's, with his company donating £1 to the charity for every waste collection it makes.
"St Mungo's is a well-known charity in Bristol and everyone knows who they are," he said. "They offer wrap-around, long-term support for people recovering from homelessness.
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"I would encourage anyone to get in touch with them. I love what they do, including looking for people on the streets and offering them accommodation, giving people opportunities to get out of the situation they are in. The main thing is they give people a second chance and a helping hand.”
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Mr O’Rourke said that he didn't contact them when he was homeless because his "pride set in". To date, the company has already donated more than £600 to St Mungo’s and is set to exceed its target of £5,000 within a year.
The company also has ideas about how it might work alongside St Mungo’s in the future to provide training and employment opportunities for people recovering from homelessness.
St Mungo’s fundraising lead for the region, Lamorna Hooker, said: “We are really grateful to Martin and the team for coming up with such a fantastic fundraising idea that will really make a difference to the lives of people recovering from homelessness.
"Martin’s personal story shows us that recovery and success after homelessness are possible, and his drive to help others who are going through similar struggles to those he has experienced in the past is truly admirable. We’re excited to see this local business going from strength to strength and are humbled that they have chosen to include St Mungo’s as part of that journey.”
